


Act Your Age

by I May Age Regress (shnuffeluv)



Series: Gibbs' Family [49]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Age Play, Characters Watching Disney Movies, Doctor's Appointments, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, It's implied that Gibbs might have cancer, Non-Sexual Age Play, Off-Screen Doctor's Appointments, Temper Tantrums, freaking out, possible illness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-09-01 06:32:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8612947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shnuffeluv/pseuds/I%20May%20Age%20Regress
Summary: Continuation of Can You Trust Me? set a few days afterwards. Gibbs has a mole under suspicion, and needs to go to the doctor's to confirm that it's nothing. But the boys overheard and are freaking out, leaving Gibbs with no choice but to ask Ziva to babysit.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bowsandarrows](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bowsandarrows/gifts).



> This is the big thing I've been waiting to present guys! Also: NaNoWriMo is almost done! And my novel's about 1/2 to 2/3 done! How cool is that?! I'm so hyped, it's 11 o'clock at night and I was sick for 5 hours earlier, so you know, it's high time I had something happy going on! Enjoy! This one's for bowsandarrows because they requested some Ziva babysitting!

Ziva knew this day was coming. Ever since she had found Timmy in the Metro, Gibbs was trusting her more with the kids, and eventually he'd be put in a bind that he couldn't get out of, even for those two. So in all honesty, she shouldn't have been as surprised as she was when she was asked to babysit. She just didn't expect it to happen this soon. "You don't _have_  to if you don't want to, Ziva," Gibbs said. "But I need to get this mole tested, and I know that the boys overheard my phone call and are freaking out. If you say no, I can drop them off at Ducky's while I'm gone, it's not a big deal."

"No, no, it is fine, Gibbs," Ziva assured. "I understand the boys can be a handful, but I can handle them for an hour or two while you go to your doctor's appointment."

Gibbs smiled, relieved. "Thanks, Ziva. I know this is short notice."

Ziva laughed. "It is not as if I have anything better to do on a Thursday afternoon, Gibbs."

That didn't mean she wasn't nervous, or that she had some second thoughts all throughout Wednesday and into Thursday morning. Tony wasn't at his usual banter with her and McGee was...more withdrawn around the team; something she hadn't thought possible in a federal agent. So the whole bullpen was in awkward silence, working on the case they had received last week that had been put on hold until they could find a serial killer. At noon, Gibbs stood, grabbing his jacket. "Appointment," he said. "You 3 have a half of a vacation day, use it wisely."

Ziva stood as well as he tossed her a key. A house key. "Don't lose that," he said. "It's how I keep the kids out of the basement when they're over and refuse to wear shoes. Tony will try to palm it, and Timmy will try to distract you and leave it in reach. Be careful."

Gibbs walked over to McGee's desk, tapping on his desk twice. "Don't irritate Ziva if you know what's good for you." He walked over to Tony. "I would say the same to you but I know it won't make a difference."

And without another word, he was gone. Ziva looked between the two men, anxiously looking at each other, and she knew she should drive them to Gibbs' house. "Tony, McGee, I'll drive," she said, grabbing her own things and sticking the key in her coat pocket.

She didn't miss how McGee followed the key with his eyes as all three of them walked out. Tony yelled "Shotgun!" as soon as Ziva's car was in sight, and dashed over to the car, leaping over the hood.

"Tony!" Ziva exclaimed. "Did no one teach you about the dangers of running in a parking lot?!"

His grin in response told Ziva that clearly, she wasn't going to be talking to big Tony any time soon. She turned to look at McGee and found Timmy a step behind her to the right. She sighed. So  _that's_  how quickly it took for them to change headspaces. "Come on, love, quickly, without running," she told him as she walked a little faster as she saw Tony try to door handle to find it was locked.

Ziva unlocked the car when she got there and Tony darted in, not taking any chances of giving up his shotgun seat. Timmy slid in the back with a slight pout. "But this means if we play the licence plate game I won't be able to see as well," he grumbled.

"The licence plate game?" Tony asked, turning to Timmy, then to Ziva. "What's the licence plate game?"

"You look for letters on licence plates out the window in order, and you see who can find the most letters before you get to where you're going," Timmy explained.

"Oh. That sounds...fun?" Tony asked, looking out the window.

"You do not have to play if you do not want to, Tony," Ziva said. "You and I can play against each other again if you want, Timmy?"

Timmy nodded as Ziva started the car and pulled out of her parking spot and drove to the gates. "There's an _A_!" he exclaimed before they were even on the road.

Tony whirled around to look at Timmy when he yelled, before turning back in his seat and sinking lower in it. Ziva looked at Timmy in the rearview mirror. "Timmy, if we could play _quietly_ , I think Tony wants to rest."

"Oh," Timmy said, sitting on his hands. "Sorry, Tony, I'll be quiet."

Tony turned to look at Timmy and nodded with a small smile. "Thanks."

Ziva glanced at the licence plates around her and pointed. "I see an _A_   _and_  a _B_ , Timmy, I'm winning!"

"No you're not!" Timmy cried indignantly. "I see the _B_  too, so we're tied!"

Ziva chuckled and continued to drive, out onto the road towards Gibbs' house. Tony fell asleep in the passenger seat, and Timmy got all the way to _P_  and was looking for _Q_  when Ziva pulled into the driveway. Timmy stopped looking around and leaned forward. "Is Papa here?" he asked hopefully.

"No, love. Your papa is still at the doctor's office. He will be for a little while longer."

Timmy's smile fell off his face and he deflated. "Oh," he said softly.

Ziva unstrapped her seat belt and shook Tony awake before turning around and putting a hand on Timmy's knee. "Do not worry, love. Your papa will be back before you know it, and then you can play with him all you want."

Tony sat forward and yawned, looking over at Ziva. "Papa's not here?" he asked.

"Not yet," Ziva said, getting out of the car. "Let's go inside."

Tony and Timmy followed her out and Ziva went up to the door, opening it and ushering the boys inside before she closed it behind her. Timmy was making a bee line for the basement door, only for the knob to make a rattling noise when he tried to turn it. "It's locked!" he exclaimed. "How're we supposed to get our toys?"

"Wait, Timmy--" Tony said, and Ziva turned to him when he suddenly stopped. "Oh, did Papa put them down there again?"

Ziva frowned. "I will go downstairs and check. In the meantime, you two need your...what did your papa call it? Protection, yes?"

Timmy and Tony shared a look that made Ziva's hair on the back of her neck stand on end, and she knew they were just trying to get in the basement, but she wanted to humor them, if only so that she could let them know she was not to be messed with. She pulled the key out of her coat pocket and unlocked the basement, turning to both boys with her best glare. "Stay put once you are ready," she ordered, stepping onto the stairs and closing the door behind her.

She ghosted down the steps and inspected the basement, finding nothing suitable for children, short of some unfinished wooden toys. There was a creak on the steps and Ziva whirled around. Timmy froze and Ziva let out a huff. "What did I tell you to do?" she asked him.

Timmy opened his mouth but no words followed the action. She walked closer and he took a half step up. Ziva stopped and stared him down. "Stay put, I don't want you getting a splinter," she said, walking the rest of the way to him and finding that, like usual, he didn't have any shoes or socks on. She sighed. "Watch your step," she said, grabbing his hand and walking up the stairs, only to be stopped when Timmy didn't follow her. She turned to find him still looking into the basement. "Timmy. Upstairs. _Now_."

She got no response. "Timmy," she warned.

The boy looked up at her, jaw set. He shook his head.

Ziva knew that, logically, she could pick Timmy up and carry him up the stairs, but she also knew if she tried doing that, it more likely than not would end with the boy having a meltdown, or a flashback, or worse. "Timmy, this is not a game. Upstairs, now."

"No," Timmy said.

Ziva took a deep breath. There was no way out of this that would end well. She would already have to punish Timmy for not following orders and nearly hurting himself, but now he had outright defied her, and he needed to know she was in charge when Gibbs wasn't here. "Timmy, upstairs. Last warning."

"No. You're not Papa, you can't tell me what to do!" he said, yanking his hand back and walking down the rest of the stairs.

Ziva growled under her breath but her eyes widened when she saw a whittling knife on the ground right in Timmy's path. "Timothy McGee, you stop right this instant!" she yelled.

Timmy's foot hovered over the whittling knife, stock still. He was looking up at her with anger, but just enough fear that she knew he was listening to her, not just humoring her. She walked down the steps and took the whittling knife, waving it in front of his face before putting it on the closest table. "You _do not_  walk down here without shoes! You nearly sliced your foot open! Upstairs, now!"

When Timmy completely shut off Ziva realized raising her voice was not the best idea. The boy stomped his foot on the ground and yelled in kind, "You can't tell me what to do!"

Ziva's jaw clenched. She placed one arm behind Timmy's back, and used the other to knock him off balance from behind the knees, and she lifted him off the ground with a grunt. "We are going upstairs," she said firmly.

Timmy lost it, trying to get out of her grip and screaming in frustration, tears streaming down his face. She grimaced as she maneuvered him up the stairs and through the door. Tony stared as she carried him to the corner of the room, sitting him facing the wall. "You will sit here until you calm down, and when I feel you have learned your lesson, we will talk about your actions," she said firmly.

The boy didn't lessen in his screaming and crying, and she let him continue, going back to the basement and closing the door, locking it and palming the key before she put her jacket on the armrest of the sofa for the time being. She sat down next to Tony and smiled. "I'm sorry about the noise earlier. Would you like to play a game with me until Timmy gets out of the corner?"

Tony shrugged, eyes trained on the ground as Timmy continued to throw a fit. Ziva's smile faltered. This wasn't as easy as Gibbs made it out to be, and it still looked difficult when she watched him. She brushed some of Tony's hair out of his face and tutted. "You two have both been so brave, it must be hard pretending everything is fine, hm?"

A flicker of emotion crossed Tony's face, and Ziva knew she was on to something. "You have been an angel so far compared to Timmy, but I know you want to cry too, and that is perfectly natural."

Tony shook his head. "DiNozzo's don't show weakness," he protested, even as his voice cracked. "And that incl-cludes crying."

Ziva shook her head. Clearly, these two didn't have much better childhoods than she did. It wasn't unheard of, she supposed, but she wished it weren't true. "Well, I don't think crying is a sign of weakness. I believe it is a sign of strength to show how you really feel."

Tony looked at Ziva uncertainly. "Really?"

Ziva nodded. "Mm-hm."

That was all it took for Tony to stop pretending. He curled in on himself, buried his head in his legs, and started sobbing. Ziva tutted and rubbed his back. "Ssh, ssh. It is okay, angel, it is okay."

Ziva looked over at the corner to find Timmy watching miserably, and she waved him over. "Come here, love, you can come out now."

Timmy crawled over and laid down on the floor with his head on Ziva's leg. She carded her fingers through his hair and shushed him when he started to cry again. "Both of you have had long days. How does going upstairs and taking a short nap sound?"

Tony lifted his head and rubbed his red-rimmed eyes. The red blotches on his face made Ziva cringe inside. He nodded. "A nap it is, then," she sighed.

She gently nudged Timmy to a seated position before standing and helping both the boys up, gently but firmly pushing them to the nursery. She was always a little taken aback when she walked into it; it looked exactly like a room two children had to share, except the beds were sized for adults. She put Tony in his crib and pulled up the bars, picking up a pacifier that was on the dresser and gently putting it in his mouth. Then she set Timmy on his bed on the opposite side of the room. The first time she was here she saw a top bunk overhead, but it had since been removed, and she assumed that was where Kate must have slept when she was over. Timmy whined and grabbed at her arm, but when she looked down at him he stopped. "Timmy, love, is there something you need?" she asked, sitting down on the bed next to him.

Timmy shook his head, looking down and away. "I'm sorry I was bad," he said.

"Love..." Ziva was at a loss. Of course Timmy had disobeyed, but that didn't mean he was inherently _bad_. She wanted to punch whoever had taught him that. "You were not bad. You disobeyed, that does not make you _bad_. But you are not allowed to act out just because you are worried. And before you protest, of course you are worried, we all are. Even I am worried, though it may not seem like it. Your papa is strong, Timmy. Even if he is sick I do not doubt that he will get better."

Timmy nodded. "Am I still in trouble?"

"You sat in the corner as a punishment to let you calm down. It is in the past, love. Get some rest, I will make you and Tony a snack and wake you in an hour if you do fall asleep. If you cannot sleep, feel free to join me in the kitchen, but do _not_  go in the basement again, okay?"

"Mm-hm," Timmy said, rubbing his eyes and feeling around his bed.

Ziva knew he was looking for his blanket, and she spotted it on the floor. She picked it up and handed it to him. "See you soon, Timmy."

Timmy nodded and Ziva walked out of the room and down the stairs before she let out a sigh. She didn't know what she was going to do with these two--she had no clue how Gibbs had everything together. Ziva had promised Timmy and Tony a snack, though, so she should see what food there was in the house.

One inspection of the kitchen later, she found some fruit and a box of Goldfish, which she opened to conclude that it was not actual fish in the box, but crackers in the shape of fish. That done, she went to her coat to see if her phone had any messages. One missed call with no voicemail from Gibbs. She immediately called him back. The second he answered he was asking questions. "Ziva?! What happened? Why didn't you answer? Are Timmy and Tony okay? None of you are hurt, right? What are you doing right now? Can I talk to the kids?"

"Gibbs!" she interrupted. "You are worse than Abby when you are this concerned. Let me speak!"

The man stopped, but Ziva could tell even over the phone he was agitated.

"There were a few things that happened that you should know about, but they are answered in your next questions. I did not answer because I had my hands full with the boys. They are experiencing extreme stress at your doctor visit but do not wish to verbalize their concern. None of us have come to physical harm, though while I was in search of Tony and Timmy's things Timmy made it down to the basement and nearly stepped on a whittling knife in bare feet. I managed to stop him, but he had one of his...tantrums in response, and I put him in the corner to calm down, at which point both boys hit their breaking points. They are currently resting in the nursery, getting some needed quiet time. I was looking for a snack to give them in about an hour when that is over. I imagine talking to them would only cause more stress at this point in time, however. I would not recommend it. When are you returning?"

"I don't know. The mole made the doctors concerned, so they're removing it today, which will involve stitches since it's deep in the skin. Give me about 2 hours, 3 at most and I should be on my way back. I don't know what anesthetic they'll use, but I'll try to convince them to keep it local so I can drive home sooner."

"That sounds wise. I will talk to you soon, Gibbs," Ziva said, hanging up as footsteps came down the stairs.

"Was that Papa?" Timmy asked.

"It was," Ziva said. "He was telling me he is still at the doctors, but should be home in a few hours at most. With any luck he will be home in less."

Timmy pouted. "Even _one_ hour is forever..."

"Why are you down here, Timmy?" she asked.

"Tony fell asleep, and I didn't think it was a good idea to be alone."

"Did you have...thoughts?" Ziva asked, looking for the right words. "Thoughts that told you to hurt someone or something?"

"Kinda," Timmy said, cheeks turning red. "The thoughts said I should do bad things to myself. But I've done those things before and they hurt, and I don't really want to hurt today, so I thought maybe you could make the thoughts go away?"

"I do not know how to make thoughts go away," Ziva said. "But I may know how to distract you from them. Should we put on a movie? Your papa might be home before it's over, and then he can help you with the thoughts if they still bother you."

Timmy nodded. "Could we watch _Lilo & Stitch_? I know how to work the player, I just wanna make sure you wouldn't mind the movie..."

"I have never seen _Lilo & Stitch_, but I cannot imagine I would hate it to the point I would not let you watch it. If you know how to put it on, you can put it on."

Timmy smiled and shuffled over to the TV, kneeling in front of it and opening a drawer underneath it, looking for the movie. "It's in here somewhere..."

"While you look, I think I will get us a snack to have while we watch," Ziva said, walking into the kitchen. "I will be right back."

Ziva grabbed two small bowls and the box of Goldfish, and poured a small amount of the crackers into each of them. When she walked back in the living room, the TV was already playing previews for movies that were going to be playing back when the movie was just released for home viewing, and Timmy was curled up on the couch. Ziva sat next to him. "Let me know if your thoughts become too much, and I will see if I can help, okay, love?"

Timmy nodded, and reached for a bowl of Goldfish. "I like these, even if Tony says that makes me a baby," he admitted.

"I have never tried them, but if it turns up I like them, I imagine Tony would stop teasing you about being a baby for enjoying them," Ziva said, picking up a cracker and inspecting it.

Timmy gasped. "The movie's starting! It's starting!"

Ziva stopped talking and watched the beginning of the movie. She rather liked the backgrounds, they were beautifully made. The concept, while a little juvenile on the surface, had promise. They got halfway through before Ziva heard a car pull into the driveway outside. She paused the movie, ignoring Timmy's whining, and went to the door, opening it to see Gibbs walking up the steps. "Hey, Ziva. Have the kids finished sitting still yet?" he asked.

Before she could respond, Timmy rushed up from behind her and out onto the porch, crushing Gibbs in a hug. "Papa! You're here!"

Gibbs grunted and led Timmy back inside. "Yup. Where's your brother?"

"Sleeping, I think," Timmy said, shrugging. "I was having bad thoughts so Ziva and I put on _Lilo & Stitch_."

"Well I'm glad you didn't listen to the bad thoughts and watched something instead," Gibbs said, ruffling Timmy's hair. Ziva didn't miss the concern in his voice. "I'll go say hi to Tony, and then we could finish that movie together?"

Timmy nodded. "Yeah! Ziva was really nice, even if she wouldn't let me in the basement. We played the licence plate game! And she let me just sit next to her when I got upset and..."

Timmy continued as Gibbs went upstairs, nodding to show he was listening. Ziva smiled to herself in satisfaction. Maybe she had done something right during all of this.

* * *

There was a call in the office next week on Gibbs' phone. The team had been waiting with bated breath all day to see if Gibbs would be getting the test results back on the mole the doctors had removed. Gibbs picked up the phone. "Gibbs," he said. He listened to the other end of the line. "Uh-huh. I got it...Thank you. I should call where?" Ziva exchanged glances with Tony and McGee. "Okay. Thanks. Goodbye."

No one spoke. Gibbs leaned back in his chair. "It's benign," he said. "They said if I had any questions to call a dermatologist's office down the street, since the practice is moving out of town. I'm not dying anytime soon, get back to work."

It felt like a collective sigh permeated the room as everyone returned to their normal duties. Ziva felt relieved. While she might not have the relationship Gibbs had with Tony or Timmy, she certainly worried about the man, and didn't want any harm to come to him or anyone he cared about. It was a new sensation, but not an unwelcome one.

She wondered why that was.


End file.
